Thursday, November 12, 2009

Noughties By Nature #48: The Concretes - You Can't Hurry Love

It's widely discussed/written by people who probably know LOADS that the perfect pop song is around three minutes long, maybe a bit shorter, never less than 2:30 for sure. In 2004 The Concretes popped out THE perfect pop song in just under two minutes. Not a moment is wasted or misused, every note matters so much as each part gropes for the next and follows the previous just right. It doesn't outstay it's welcome. I'm sure I didn't pay attention to how long it was when I first heard the song, it's so short and fantastic there simply isn't time, it was all the strung out verse melody and that trumpet solo and the build up to the chorus punchline dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun, if anything, it feels shorter than it's grand run time and when you're watching music television with no way to repeat before the Libertines run on again it seems shorter still.

Something about using a title that's already got so much attached to it (just like The Replacements did with Let It Be) stinks of not needing to compromise with what you name your material as it's infinitely better than what came before it. The Concretes had a couple of other really ace singles, their second album In Colour was great in patches but Victoria Bergsman featured on one of the other great songs of the noughties and eventually left the band. They're still going but it's unlikely they (or anyone else really) will ever be able to match this most perfect pop song.

The song is sweet like one of those romantic comedies of the moment, our female narrator is conversing with (we assume) her boy and letting him know that "love ain't far" and not to hurry it. It'll probably end well for them if he heeds her advice.Simon Lawson